Melinda Gates, who once yearned for the iPhone, now happily supports a complete ban on Apple products in her household. Her husband Bill started a little company called Microsoft, which you might have heard of. (Source: AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

The only fruity products allowed in the Gates household come from trees

In addition to founding arguably the world's most powerful tech company, Bill Gates also has been among the most generous figures of the modern era, giving away billions to charitable causes. His long-time wife, Melinda Gates, with whom he has had three children, has been critical in steering those charitable donations to worthy causes.

In an interview entitled The Donor, published in The New York Times Mrs. Gates sheds intriguing light on a variety of topics, including her charitable efforts. Among her observations is that past charity drives to support sub-Saharan Africa have been biased towards men, leaving women behind. The Gates Foundation's efforts have focused on women, especially, in these regions. She also discusses how she believes in birth control for the third world, despite her religion -- Catholicism -- opposing it.

Perhaps the most humorous part of the interview, though, comes when Mrs. Gates details how Apple products are forbidden in their household. Though she admitted in the past, "Every now and then I look at my friends and say 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone,'" she didn't mention any such desires for Apple electronics this time around.

When asked if she owned an Ipod, she appropriately responds, "No, I have a Zune."

When asked if her children clamored for one, she states, "I have gotten that argument — "You may have a Zune.""

She was even more vocal when asked if she had an iPad, responding, "Of course not."

When asked if rumors of Bill Gates using a Mac laptop were true, she comments, "False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep."

The interviewer then asks her whether there's room in the world for Microsoft and Apple. She comments, "Microsoft certainly makes products for the Macintosh. Go talk to Bill."

When asked in 2006 if he had an iPod, he responded, "No, I do not. Nor do my children. My children--in many dimensions they're as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I've got my kids brainwashed: You don't use Google, and you don't use an iPod."

"If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." -- Scientology founder L. Ron. Hubbard